Lalla Latifa
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Lalla Latifa Amahzoune[1] (Arabic: لالة لطيفة أمحزون – born 1945 or 1946, near Khenifra, Morocco) is the widow of king Hassan II and the mother of Princess Lalla Meryem, King Mohammed VI, Princess Lalla Asma, Princess Lalla Hasna and Prince Moulay Rachid.[2][3] Although she never held the title of "Queen," she is referred to using terms such as "mother of the royal children".[4] The privacy accorded to her in Morocco is so great that attempts to publish photos of her in the Moroccan newspaper Al Ayam were found to violate Moroccan law (in accord with a 1956 decree prohibiting publication of photos of the king and his family without authorization).[5]
Life
Born Fatima Amahzoune, but called Latifa (to avoid confusion with her cousin, the king's first wife, the former Lalla Fatima bint Qaid Amhourok), Lalla Latifa is the daughter of a senior Berber notable of the Zayan tribe,[6] related to Mouha ou Hammou Zayani, and niece of the Qaid Ould Hassan Amhourok. She married Hassan II in 1961.[7]
She is the sister of General Hammou Amahzoune, who allegedly participated in the 1971 failed coup attempt against Hassan II.[citation needed] On 13 July 1971, General Hammou Amahzoune was executed along with 9 other high ranking Moroccan military officers. The execution was broadcast live on state TV.[citation needed]
After the death of Hassan II, she married Mohamed Mediouri, the bodyguard of the late monarch and former security chief of the royal palace.[8][9]
References
- ↑ Aissa Amourag (17 October 2008). "Une escroquerie presque parfaite". MarocHebdo. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ↑ (24 July 1999).Morocco's King Hassan dies, aged 70, Independent Online (South Africa)
- ↑ (27 March 1989). Royal Treat for Maggie, Evening Times
- ↑ Hughes, Stephen. (17 November 1975).With Thousands on the Road from Morocco, King Hassan Encourages a Sahara March-in, People (magazine)
- ↑ (15 February 2009). Prohibido publicar fotos de la madre de Mohamed VI (Forbidden to publish photographs of Mohamed VI's mother), El País (in Spanish)
- ↑ (10 February 1967). The King of Morroco, Hassan II, The New York Times ("daughter of Kaid Amaroq, a mountain chieftain")
- ↑ http://www.royalark.net/Morocco/morocco13.htm
- ↑ Mahjoub Tobji (2006-09-13). Les officiers de Sa Majesté:Les dérives des généraux marocains 1956-2006. Fayard. ISBN 978-2-213-64072-3.
- ↑ Ali Amar (2009-04-29). Mohammed VI, le grand malentendu. Calman-Levy. ISBN 978-2-702-14857-0.
